Friday, July 31, 2009

Victor Martinez to Boston!


Sources say All-Star Victor Martinez is on his way to Boston in exchange for Justin Masterson and 2007 1st round draft pick Nick Hagadone.

But the big question remains... does Cleveland still go a head with "Victor Martinez Bobble-Head Night"... which is tomorrow at Progressive Field?

-Keefe

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Manny & Ortiz Busted for Roids; Who Knew?




Well it shouldn't come as a major shock but Manny and Ortiz have surfaced on that "confindential" list of roughly 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs back in 2003. With all of the "leaks" and a pair of players coming clean, we've got I believe 7 players from that list. They are...

1. Alex Rodriguez
2. Jason Grimsley
3. David Segui
4. Sammy Sosa
5. Barry Bonds
6. Manny Ramirez
7. David Ortiz

I'm not going to try and finger point and predict the rest of the group. Although that could be entertaining. Rather just take a look at the rosters from the 2003 All-Star Game.


What a crew!

-Keefe

Fastest KO in MMA history

Step aside, Chris Clements. You now have company as owner, ahem, co-owner of the fastest recorded knockout in MMA history. Steve Ramirez (7-5) needed just 3 seconds to topple opponent Darven Wattree in his fight for "Pure Combat 9: Home Turf" this past weekend on July 25th. After refusing to touch gloves with Wattree and returning to his corner, Ramirez calmly came out, tossed a sweeping overhand right with ill intentions and found his mark. Wattree simultaneously dropped unconscious to the floor as well as to 2-3 in his pathetic fighting career. A loss like this to a guy of Ramirez's caliber does not bode well for future prospects, and while we hope Wattree is okay, we also hope he realizes he may need to look into another line of work.

Here's the clip:



And here's Clements' KO from "TKO 25":



I must say, Clements' KO is a little more entertaining for a few reasons. First, the footage is clearly better. No offense to the fan who captured Ramirez's KO, it's a job well done considering he's in the stands and using a home camera. But it doesn't get the up close shot we could've benefitted from. Secondly, what the hell was Lautaro Tucas doing? He sprinted at Clements with his hands by his side like a pansy, lept in the air with seemingly zero intention of doing anything, then wears a sledgehammer to his face and immediately has his lights turned off. Thricely, the finishing blows when he's clearly unconscious, thus bouncing his head up and down off the canvas, are a terrific watch.

Perhaps Tucas and Wattree should fight each other with the loser being forced into the retirement and the winner being forced into retirement anyway. Both of these guys suck. I actually just knocked out both of them as I posted this blog entry and I didn't even have to get up off the couch.

The one thing that bothers me about the Ramirez KO is that he refused to touch gloves with Wattree. What a bag of douche. As if it's that hard. I know Ramirez touched gloves with him when they first got to the center of the cage, but who does that anyway? You typically do it after the referee instructs you to do so, so figure it out. You've had 12 fights now, make an adjustment. You're not Brock Lesnar and you're not in UFC. You're fighting for Pure Combat 9, which nobody really cares about. So stop being a loser and just touch the guys gloves when you're supposed to instead of showing him up when he made the gesture after receiving your instructions.

But anyway, which of these record breaking KO's is your favorite? Sound off...

-Bess

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cliff Lee to Phillies; What about Halladay?


2008 A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee has been sent to the Phillies along with OF Ben Francisco for 4 prospects not named J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek. The defending champs did not want to give up their 2 best young arms, but still wanted to improve their team. They did, but Lee is not Halladay.

Could Halladay be coming to Boston? The recent rumor says Clay Buchholz, a choice of Justin Masterson, Michael Bowdoin, or Lars Anderson, as well as lesser prospects. Make this happen! If the Sox get Halladay they will see Manny Ramirez, Cliff Lee, or gulp Julio Lugo in the World Series.

Trade deadline on Friday 4pm. The Sports Brief will hit you with the winners and losers.


-Keefe

Monday, July 27, 2009

Captain Hook vs. Left Hook


Roy Jones...er Captain Hook looks ready to take on Left Hook Lacy. What more can you say?

Sunday, July 26, 2009

TUF 10 Cast Video preview

This season of TUF is going to be absolutely insane...is it September 16 yet?!?!?!


Ultimate Fighter Cast Preview

-Bess

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Can there be 2 MMA video games?

The UFC came out with their video game "UFC 2009: Undisputed," two months ago under the publisher THQ. The thing has sold an absolute ton of copies, over 1 million in the first month. Can there be 2 MMA games? Dana White said that he went to EA Sports with the idea of a kick ass UFC game, and the EA people said not a chance, and told Dana that MMA was not a sport. Well with the huge success of Undisputed the same naysayers from EA wanted to cash in on MMA.

You don't see another company trying to challenge Madden anymore. That's a lost cause. The NBA has Live and 2k, NHL also has two. Is MMA popular enough to sell 2 games? It comes down to game play, rosters, and year-to-year changes.

The UFC and THQ signed a multi-year contract, therefore if EA comes out with a game of their own, you won't see any of the UFC stars. Not exactly sure how the likes of Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Fabricio Werdum shake out, considering they are no longer in the UFC but are all in the current game, making up 4 of the 80+ fighters.

I have come up with the roster EA would need to be able to compete with the UFC game. Some of these guys may fight in the UFC, but were not in the last game for whatever the reason.

If you're an MMA fan tell me you wouldn't buy this game... (fighter by weight class)

1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Alistair Overeem
3. Brett Rogers
4. Josh Barnett
5. Alek Emelianenko
6. Paul Buentello
7. Gilbert Yvel
8. Pedro Rizzo
9. Jeff Monson
10. Kimbo Slice
11. Roy Nelson
12. Ben Rothwell
13. Randy Couture*
14. Babalu Sobral
15. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera
16. Vladimir Matyushenko
17. Ricardo Arona
18. Murilio Bustamante
19. Gegard Mousasi
20. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
21. Vitor Belfort
22. Robbie Lawler
23. Jorge Santiago
24. Melvin Manhoef
25. Ronaldo Souza
26. Matt Lindland
27. Cung Le
28. Paulo Fiho
29. Kazuo Misaki
30. Denis Kang*
31. Chael Sonnen*
32. Frank Shamrock
33. Nick Diaz
34. Jake Shields
35. Jay Hieron
36. Brock Larson
37. Marius Zaromskis
38. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
39. Jason High
40. Frank Trigg*
41. Nick Thompson
42. Carlos Condit*
43. Joe Riggs
44. Shinya Aoki
45. Joachim Hansen
46. Eddie Alverez
47. Tatsuya Kawajiri
48. Josh Thomson
49. JZ Calvancante
50. Gilbert Melendez
51. Jaime Varner
52. Vitor Ribeiro
53. Mitsuhiro Ishida
54. Takanori Gomi
55. Satoru Kitaoka
56. Donald Cerrone
57. Mike Brown
58. Urijah Faber
59. Jose Aldo
60. Leonard Garcia

*in UFC now, not in game

There's 60 guys right there without any filler, those are top of the line fighters, minus Kimbo but he gives you name recognition.

Gina Carano and Cyborg Santos? Put them in as a woman match? I wouldn't go any further past the two of them.

Also what could help them generate sales and compete/surpass the UFC/THQ model is have unlockable legends... a la the WWF games.

Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Frank if he's not already in, Tank Abbott, Dan Severn, Kevin Randleman, Sakuraba, Mark Hunt, Kimo (He is alive.), Phil Baroni (a legend in his own mind), Bas Rutten, a young Ricco Rodriguez, and whoever else.

In the end, it might be tough without the UFC name, but if they market it right and the game play is a step better, I think they can compete.

-Keefe

Monday, July 20, 2009

Dream 10: Zaromskis KTFOs High for title

As you saw in our latest MMA rankings this morning, Marius Zaromskis entered the top 10 for the welterweight division after his destruction (and upset) of Hayato "Mach" Sakurai followed by the manslaughter of Jason High. The win over High was absolutely spectacular. Check it out below:



Out on his feet, but Zaromskis added a little more damage at the end just to be sure. While we see guys knocked out on their feet from time to time (ala Michael Bisping at UFC 100 just over a week ago), very rarely do we see it a) by the foot and b) with such fluid movement transitioning from a combination with his hands to a devastating leg kick followed by another transition to his hands. It was beautiful and a terrific display of striking by the 10th ranked welterweight in the world.

-Bess

The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (7-20-09)

Not going to hit you with a lot of fluff on this addition of the MMA Rankings. August is going to be a big month with many of our top fighters in action against each other, starting Aug. 1st with Affliction's latest card. Sengoku, Strikeforce, WEC, and two count em 2 UFC events all take place next month. Since our last rankings we've had a few cards highlighted by UFC 100 and last night's Dream 10. Let's get to the rankings.


Heavyweight

1. Fedor Emelianeko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Josh Barnett
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonia Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Randy Couture
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Shane Carwin
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Brett Rogers

Honorable Mention: Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos, Roy Nelson

Light Heavyweight

1. Lyoto Machida
2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
6. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
7. Luis Arthur Cane
8. Rich Franklin
9. Keith Jardine
10. Thiago Silva

Honorable Mentions: Gegard Mousasi, Chuck Liddell, Brandon Vera, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jon Jones

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Gegard Mousasi
4. Yushin Okami
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Robbie Lawler
7. Nate Marquardt
8. Demian Maia

9. Jorge Santiago
10. Yoshihiro Akiyama


Honorable Mention: Michael Bisping, Cung Le, Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jake Shields
3. Jon Fitch
4. Thiago Alves
5. Martin Kampmann
6. Josh Koscheck
7. Mike Swick

8. Matt Hughes

9. Paulo Thiago
10. Marius Zaromskis*

Honorable Mention: Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy, Marcus Davis, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Jay Hieron, Karo Parysian, Frank Trigg

*Winner of the Dream Welterweight Grand Prix


Lightweight

1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Joachim Hansen
6. Satoru Kitaoka
7. Tatsuya Kawijiri
8. Gray Maynard
9. Frankie Edgar
10. Diego Sanchez

Honorable Mention: JZ Cavalcante, Gilbert Melendez, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson, Clay Guida, Nick Diaz, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, KJ Noons


-The Sports Brief

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Just Bleed

For those of you that watched UFC 100, or have been following the post event coverage, you've probably heard or seen about "Filthy" Tom Lawlor's win over C.B. Dolloway. It was an impressive performance, locking in a guillotine choke that at first glance, did not seem tight enough to finish the fight. But Lawlor calmly transitioned himself into better position to tighten the hold and dim the lights on Dolloway for a quick submission win.


But what you may not have seen, or if you did, not understood, was Lawlor's showmanship at the weigh-in. He showed up with "Just Bleed" painted on his chest in white, and "UFC" in green on his forehead. Check out the picture below...


I'll be honest, I had no clue what the hell this was all about when I first saw it. I thought he was just being an idiot and trying too hard to be funny. But I did a simple Google search, and I gotta tell ya, I'm a HUGE Tom Lawlor fan now. Watch the video below from UFC 15 to find out why exactly Tom Lawlor did this...
How can you not love that guy??? And not love Tom Lawlor for a) knowing about that - I mean it happened at UFC 15...Lawlor was 14 like I was. I had never even heard of UFC at that point. Great stuff, and well played by "Filthy". For the record, he also came out to "Who Let the Dogs Out" with Seth Petruzelli - the man who beat Kimbo Slice - at the end of a dog leash. Solid, solid stuff.
-Bess

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Obama's first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game

Alright, normally this wouldn't be a hot topic with me. But I made a few observations during Obama's first pitch at the All-Star game last night.

First and foremost, it wasn't a freakin strike. He left it in front of the plate and let's be honest, the thing looked like a middle school breaking ball. Slow, flat and a lot of depth to it but zero firm break. Thankfully Pujols had the mental acuity to leap out of his pseudo squat and pick the ball before it scraped the dirt. Needless to say, as bad as GW may have been as President, the guy knew how to throw a baseball. Did we make the right decision as voters?


Well, in comparison to Obama's adversary, I'd say there's no question we did. Take a second and picture John Mccain throwing out the first pitch with arms like this...



I know it's wrong to poke fun at a guy that served our country and ended up looking like a T-rex because of it, but seriously, do you think HE could reach the friggin plate? They wouldn't even send him to the mound. MLB would leave the batting practice mound 15 feet in front of the rubber and have him roll it in from there with the catcher squatting down 5 feet in front of home plate. He's lucky he can wipe his own ass (can he?), nevermind throw a baseball like a man.

But my most astute observation came when Obama went to greet Stan Musial. Watch the interaction again and tell me that Musial's driver is not a friggin Republican. Have you ever seem someone so disinterested in the fact that the President of the United States is standing 2 feet away? He looked like he truly could not care. For all I know, he's been there, done that. If that's the case, excuse me Billy Big League, no need to show us all up like that. But let's be honest, that's the first time he's ever come within a zip code of the President. By his reaction, or lack thereof, he clearly didn't vote for Obama. In fact, I started to wonder if the guy might have a baretta taped down underneath his seat. Obama almost had to hit the guy to get his attention and shake his hand. Check it out for yourself around the :20 second mark...

And here's GW at Opening Day in Arlington, TX this season...

He threw a dart and filled up the zone. Gotta love the quick windmill stretch before the pitch. Solid stuff. But perhaps his best, and most significant work came on October 30, 2001 at Yankee Stadium. Bush tossed the first pitch before Game 3 of the World Series against Arizona. And not only did he toss a pea in there, but the crowd chanting "USA! USA! USA!" at the end was pretty cool stuff. Regardless of how he was as President, you almost had to love the guy. He's a man's man.

-Bess

Buffer 360

Thanks to Joe Rogan's Twitter page, check out this hilarious video building up the Buffer 360 and taking us through the drama and suspense leading up to Buffer's mediocre execution of the never done before maneuver...



-Bess

Hendo KO of Bisping - Video

For those of you losers that haven't actually seen it, or for those of you sickos who want to see it again, check it out below. God I love this man.



-Bess

Monday, July 13, 2009

Hendo KO of Bisping - pic

Got this picture from Dan Henderson's twitter page. Unbelievable. He puts it perfectly...whoever did this photoshop job should get a medal...


You've gotta love the wig flying off. Great stuff.
-Bess

Sunday, July 12, 2009

UFC 100 Results

Undercard:

Shannon Gugerty
defeated Matt Grice via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at 2:26 in the 1stRound
Tom Lawlor defeated CB Dollaway via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at :55 in the 1stRound
Dong Hyun Kim defeated TJ Grant via Unanimous Decision (30-26, All Three judges)
Jon Jones defeated Jake O’Brien via Submission(Guillotine Choke) at 2:43 in the 2ndRound
Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mark Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Main Card:

Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) in UFC debut
Dan Henderson defeated Michael Bisping via Knockout at 3:20 in the 2ndRound, one of the best knockouts I have ever seen.
Georges St-Pierre defeated Thiago Alves via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) to remain UFC Welterweight Champion
Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir via TKO(Strikes) at 1:58 in the 2ndRound to remain UFC Heavyweight Champion
Jon Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a live bout that followed the main event.

-Keefe

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Frank Mir - UFC 100 weigh-in pic

The best we've ever seen Frank Mir. Anyone have some laundry to do?

Besse's UFC 100 picks

Well, folks, UFC 100 is finally upon us. Just over 12 hours from now Mike Goldberg will open the show and then we'll here his patented line, "and I'm joined as always by my partner Joe Rogan." We're being treated to an absolutely stacked card, and we can only hope that some of these fights on the main card will end early so we can get a look at some of the preliminary fights. I'm not going to give a thorough, fully detailed breakdown of each fight, but I'll pick my winners below and offer a brief synopsis of my thought process on why I'm making that pick. Without further ado, let's get to it:

Brock Lesnar v. Frank Mir - UFC Heavyweight Championship

My pick: Frank Mir by 3rd round submission
If you watched the weigh-in yesterday, Mir looks to be in fantastic shape, the best of this point in his career. Since his most recent comeback, he's a more cerebral, calculated and dedicated fighter than he's ever been, and tonight will be his moment in the spotlight. Utilizing his improved footwork, I look for Mir to pick his spots on his feet and wear down and frustrate Lesnar. By the third round, Lesnar's gas tank will begin to depleet and Mir will take full advantage, pulling guard and submitting Brock to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Georges St. Pierre v. Thiago Alves - UFC Welterweight Championship

My pick: St. Pierre by 4th round (T)KO

Alves will give St. Pierre all he can handle early on, but it just simply won't be enough. St. Pierre is the champion for a reason, and he'll do all he can to avoid getting chopped down by the vicious leg kicks of Alves. It will be close after two rounds, but St. Pierre's impressive cardio will come into play, and he'll start to mount a charge in the third round. There, I look for him to press Alves against the cage, wear down his opponent, and set up a fantastic finish in the fourth. He'll score a takedown and work his way to a convincing ground and pound victory, leaving us all wondering if his next move is to middleweight to take on Anderson Silva in a superfight.

Dan Henderson v. Michael Bisping

My pick: Henderson by decision

Bisping is a talented middleweight and will one day challenge for the title. Heck, he may even win it. But it won't happen going through Henderson, not at this point in his career. Hendo knows what he has to do to get another shot at Silva, and he knows what he'll have to do to beat Silva, as well. Throw a few bombs and set up a take down, and stick to his bread and butter ground and pound. That's what he'll do tonight. Bisping may be the quicker, more technical striker, but he reminds me a lot of Joe Calzaghe. Not to compare the two by any means, but within the context of MMA and UFC, that's what I see: a guy with fast hands whose damage comes merely by accumulation of punches, not power. He won't hurt Henderson, but Henderson will hurt him. A few bombs will put Bisping on shaky legs, and Henderson will start landing some takedowns. He'll grind his way to a decision win.

Jon Fitch v. Paulo Thiago

My pick: Fitch by 2nd round (T)KO

Thiago scored a flash knockout over Josh Koscheck and had been getting dominated prior to it. Perhaps it was Koschecks fault for trying to replicate his hellacious KO victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida last December. Nonetheless, let's not crown Thiago just yet. Fitch is at the top of the sport in his division and he won't make the same mistake as his training partner at AKA. He'll wear down Thiago in the first and pound his way to victory in the second. Overall, a dominant showing by the former title challenger and a fall back to Earth for the promising prospect, who may be in over his head on this one...in fact, I thought he was against Koscheck, but that's what happens with 4oz. gloves. Anything can happen.

Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher

My pick: Akiyama by 1st round submission

Sure, Belcher spoiled the debut of middleweight superstar Denis Kang. But it was a guillotine chock off a takedown attempt. That happens and doesn't necessarily speak to a phenomenal jiu-jitsu game or a dominant performance. I look at it as a guy taking advantage of another man's mistake. Akiyama won't do the same thing. This guy is the real deal, and he should steamroll right through Belcher with a first round submission. Look for Akiyama to be clamoring for a title shot in early to mid 2010.

Preliminary Bouts:

Mark Coleman (15-9) vs. Stephan Bonnar (13-5)
Bonnar by 3rd round (T)KO
You have to respect everything Coleman has done for the sport and the fact that he's still competing at his age. But the guy has never adjusted to the fact that his gas tank is the size of a walnut. Plus there are rumors circulating that the former heavyweight had a lot of trouble with this cut. This fight should get Bonnar back on track, as he'll avoid an early flurry from Coleman and take it to deeper waters. Watch Coleman's tank run on "E" in the latter half of the fight as Bonnar begins to pick him apart and finish him on their feet.

Mac Danzig (21-6-1) vs. Jim Miller (13-2)
Danzig by 2nd round (T)KO
Everyone is picking Danzig to lose to Miller; everyone is also extremely high on Miller. So am I. But I'm going with a minor upset here. Danzig is a talented fighter, but he needs a win here to stay in the UFC. Miller has a promising, long career ahead of him within this organization. Danzig is motivated, and has the skillset to compete with a lot of talented lightweights. He'll utilize his wrestling and avoid a slew of submission attempts from Miller before working to side control and eventually the mount. GnP win for Mac.

Jon Jones (8-0) vs. Jake O'Brien (11-2)
Jones by spectacular death
Watch Jones masterfully pick apart O'Brien before turning the lights off with an early KO in the second round. It will be a contender for KO of the Night.

Dong-Hyun Kim (11-0-1) vs. T.J. Grant (14-2)
Grant by 2nd round submission
That blemish on Kim's record is a NC against Karo Parysian, a fight which he lost but had overturned after Parysian tested positive for god knows what. Certainly wasn't steroids, look at the guy. Grant is a submission guy, and a talented one at that. He'll work the fight to the ground and eventually lock one in.

C.B. Dollaway (11-2) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-2)
Dollaway by 1st round steamroll submission
Jesus, I'd stand a better chance against Dollaway. Good for Lawlor dropping weight, and he's a great personality and entertaining guy. But this is a showcase fight for Dollaway before they have him take the leap to the next tier of talented fighters in the middleweight division. Lawlor won't stop anything in this fight, most certainly not a takedown and submission quickly in the first.

Matt Grice (9-2) vs. Shannon Gugerty (11-3)
Gugerty by 3rd round submission
This could be your Fight of the Night. Grice can bang, and he got caught in his last fight against Veach and had trouble recovering. But up until that point, he'd been outclassing Veach on his feet. The decision was a disputable one, and you know he'll bring it tonight. But Gugerty has excellent submissions, and I trust has learned a lot from his submission loss to perennial contender Spencer Fisher at UFC 90. These guys will go to war for 2.5 rounds before Gugerty lands on the mat with Matt (like that?) and locks in a fight ending submission.

So there you have it. An excellent card throughout, hopefully we'll get to see some of these preliminaries.

Also, you'll notice on the sidebar that we've posted a link to my Twitter page. My Twitter name is @tbesse29. Keefe may be joining soon, as well, but for now, I'd love to have anyone and everyone following me on Twitter. Tonight I'll be tweeting during the fights, posting results, thoughts on the action and possibly even scoring rounds as they happen. Feel free to check it out, follow me and enjoy the action from your phone, especially if you can't watch the fights anywhere tonight but want updates. And I welcome any and all comments and thoughts on the action as we follow it tonight. Enjoy.

-Bess

Thursday, July 9, 2009

UFC 100 This Saturday!


UFC 100 is just a couple of days away. It's a great card, as it really should be, highlighted by two title fights. The main card features the UFC debut of Yoshirio Akiyama in a middleweight bout against Alan Belcher. Belcher spoiled Denis Kang's much anticipated octagon debut, but I don't think he'll do it again. Akiyama is a showman as well as a Top 10 middleweight.

The conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter 9 was last month, but now the season's coaches square off on Saturday as Dan Henderson finally meets Michael Bisping. A title shot with Anderson Silva is on the line here, and I predict we're a few months away from Silva vs. Hendo II.

Jon Fitch returns to main card action after being in a title fight with GSP not to long ago. Fitch battles the unbeaten Paulo Thiago who upset Fitch's teammate Josh Koscheck with a surprise KO. Fitch wins this fight, and may likely get another crack at St. Pierre.

Georges St. Pierre puts his 170 pound crown on the line against the big (too big in fact in his fight against Matt Hughes where he was overweight) Thiago Alves. It's being billed as the toughest challenge in either fighters career. I don't buy it. Alves is good, but check out GSP's resume. I like St. Pierre to win and remain in the conversation of who is the best pound for pound fighter. Both guys have knockout power, but I see GSP winning a 5 round decision.

Mir vs. Lesnar II caps off an exciting night of fights. Lesnar was dominating the first fight before hitting Mir in the back of the head and thus being pulled off the former champ. Mir caught Brock in a knee lock and it was all over. If you saw their faces following the fight you would say there is no way Mir won, but that's the beauty of MMA. I'm torn on this one, and since I'm cheering for Mir I'm going to pick him. If Lesnar wins it sets up a trilogy which we've seen with Liddell/ Couture, and Tito/ Shamrock... could be something.

UFC Hall of Famer, ground and pound founder, and owner of ridiculous "old man strength" Mark Coleman battles Stephen Bonnar on the undercard, and the man to beat Bonnar in his last fight, Jon Jones is also in action.

I'm looking forward to Saturday... be sure to check it following the fights as I will post the full results from UFC 100.

-Keefe

Friday, July 3, 2009

Is Mickelson the best short game player ever?

That's a claim the voice over makes at the end of the video below. And the backwards shot he makes here offers up a pretty compelling argument. I'm going golfing with Reeds today and I almost WANT to have a ball end up on the downward slope of a backside of a bunker so I can try this shot out. It's ridiculous, check it out...



I'm not sure what's more amazing: the fact that he actually did hit it backwards, or that he put it within 5 feet. We've all watched the billiards trick shot competitions on ESPN from time to time (admit it, you have). This makes me want to see one for golf. I'd love to see Phil and Tiger go head to head, although in this case, you may have to favor Phil.

-Bess

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Besse's starting squads for the '09 All-Star Game

Well the 2009 All-Star game is almost here, and the races are certainly heating up a few positions. I’ve personally always felt that a fan voting system for All-Star starters is flawed, because while there will always be deserving players who don’t make the game, you hate to see guys getting a start when someone far more deserving should be out there. This seems to particularly be the case in 2009, as several positions are being led by players who should not be in such a position. Those individual cases will be address throughout, but below is my assessment of who is most deserving to start the game, make the team as a reserve, and which players are deserving but just miss the cut. I’ve done my best to make judgment calls without emotion or bias towards a particular player. The picks are as objective as one could be in performing a subjective task.

American League

First Base

Starter: Justin Morneau

Reserve: Miguel Cabrera

Apologies to: Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira, and even Russell Branyan

This position has a ton of depth, perhaps the most of any in the AL. Youkilis’ stock dropped because of some time spent on the DL, but he does lead first basemen in OPS. Teixeira may be clocking homeruns and driving in a plethora of runs, but his low average and the inflated homerun rate at Yankee Stadium don’t help his cause. Morneau continues to fly under the radar. He is my pick as the starter, but I would have no problem reserving him and having Cabrera as the starter. Morneau is showing .313/19/64, which is a damn good line. He was solid in April (.318/5/18) while Mauer was on the DL. And while he had been having a poor month of June, his last couple games in which he homered twice and drove in 3 have put it on par with April. Cabrera, meanwhile, leads the position with a .332 batting average, and he’s sporting 16 homers and 47 RBI (all better than Youk) with punch and judy hitter Magglio Ordonez behind him. And poor Russell Branyan. The guy is batting over .300 and has hit 19 homeruns. Unfortunately his team sucks, and no one is ever on base; 12 of those shots have been solo jacks and he only has 40 RBI. Ridiculous.

Second base

Starter: Aaron Hill

Reserve: Robinson Cano

Apologies to: Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, Brian Roberts

This is an absolute no-brainer. Hill has been ridiculous, and you have to wonder if he’ll slow down at any point. The LSU product, once compared to Garrett Chin (or was it the other way around? Either way, it was inaccurate.) has hit .305, clubbed 19 homers and driven in 56 runs. Who would’ve thought? No one, that’s who. There’s no way anyone ever saw this coming, which makes it even more incredible. And he’s been doing this mostly out of the 2-hole for a team that has been inconsistent both offensively and in the win column.

Cano has been solid with a .300/12/42 line. But he’s dropped off from that fast start he had in April. To me, he should get the nod over Pedroia and Kinsler, who are battling it out for the starting position and I can’t figure out why. Kinsler is hitting .267. Sure he’s got 19 homers, 51 RBI and is 16-18 in stolen bases, but that average is brutal and it just keeps getting worse. Remember when he was hitting .300? Hasn’t been since the middle of May; he’s hitting .245 since the start of May. And Pedroia is having a rather pedestrian season. .287 is nothing to sneeze at, and there’s no power there. His SB success rate is down from last year, as well. Roberts will most likely never be an All-Star again in his career, which is sad because he’s consistently good every single year. This year is no different. Across the board his numbers are better than Pedroia. And yet he’s not even in the top-5 in voting. Hill is currently fourth in the voting, and I’m blown away by that. It’s situations like this where we should realize how flawed the fan voting system is. And that’s not the only one either. Once the starters are announced I’ll have more to discuss on that end.

Third Base

Starter: Evan Longoria

Reserve: Michael Young

Apologies to: Brandon Inge, Scott Rolen, Chone (Shawn?) Figgins

Another no brainer here, and thankfully justice will most likely be served. Sadly, we’re looking at an All-Star game without A-Rod. Even worse is that he has absolutely no argument to play in this game. Longoria is far and away the best at his position. His average has dropped significantly over the past month (he’s hitting .233 in June), but .300 is where he’ll most likely be come the end of the year. The power numbers are there, and it’s crazy to think that he’s only been in the bigs for a calendar year.

For the reserves, it’s gotta go to Young. The guy made the move from short to third to make room for up and comer Elvis Andrus, the Rangers shortstop of the future. He made no fuss about the transition, and his numbers show how selfless a player he is; they haven’t sputtered. Inge could be just as deserving. While his average is a good 40 points or so below Young, he leads the position in homeruns (18) and has driven in 52 runs. He’s been crushing the ball, and he also leads the BBTN clubhouse on the web gems leaderboard. Rolen and Figgins are quietly having nice seasons as well, but most likely haven’t done enough to warrant a spot in the game.

Shortstop

Starter: Jason Bartlett

Reserve: Derek Jeter

Apologies to: Julio Lugo (kidding), Nick Green (also kidding), Jed Lowrie (still kidding)

Let’s face it: this is a seriously weak position in terms of talent and depth. Sure, Jeter and Bartlett are both having great seasons, but beyond that there’s no one even worth mentioning and still being taken seriously. I looked yesterday and saw that Jeter is 17 for 18 in steals. That’s ridiculous. Where did that even come from? Not to mention he’s hitting .307 with 9 homers and 32 RBI, but he’s one of those guys that should be penciled in to start the All-Star game every year by default unless someone is playing out of this world.

This year just so happens to be that year. Bartlett is the best shortstop in the American League right now. He’s hitting .366/7/36 and is 17 for 18 in SB’s. Not only that, but his defense has been sound, having committed only 5 errors thus far. Sure, he hit the DL with that ankle sprain, but this situation differs from first base with Youkilis because of the lack of depth at the position. As much as I feel Jeter should start at short in the ASG until he dies, Bartlett is having too good of a year for that not to be recognized with a starting nod.

Catcher

Starter: Joe Mauer

Reserve: Victor Martinez

Apologies to: A.J. Pierzynski

Same situation as shortstop, but even more different. Mauer has been off the chain since he returned in May from the DL. He went on to hit .414/11/32 in the month of May. Right now he sits overall at .383/14/43. Safe to say he’s returned to planet Earth, especially in the power department, but the numbers are still ridiculous. Martinez, meanwhile, should make the All-Star Game based solely on the fact that he could easily make an argument for his place in it at two positions. Let’s hope either way, they find a spot for him. Pierzysnki is the only qualifying catcher worth discussing. He’s hitting .294/8/24 which isn’t spectacular, by any means, but looks damn good stacked up against the rest of the position.

Outfield

Starters: Jason Bay, Ichiro Suzuki, Carl Crawford

Apologies to: Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Torii Hunter, Nick Markakis, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye

I don’t know how many reserves they’ll take, so saying that, I’ll just offer apologies to certain players instead of listing reserves as well.

Jason Bay’s production (19 homers, 69 RBI) make up for his .267 average. Ichiro is a hitting machine and leads the AL in average (.373) among qualified hitters. And Crawford is batting .323 which is nice…but it’s the 40 stolen bases that separate him from anyone else. He’s exciting, electrifying and second in the AL in runs scored.

Torii Hunter may be the most deserving of the reserve candidates to start. He’s having a solid season at .306/17/57, anchoring a lineup that didn’t have Vlad for a while and still doesn’t really have him as he’s brought nothing to the table. Granderson’s average sucks but his power numbers are startling when you look at his wiry frame. Markakis could hit for a little more power but he’s driving in runs and teetering around .300. Jones, meanwhile, has really hit the skids in June, but his overall body of work is impressive. Damon leads the AL in runs scored and is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Remember, this was the season that the Red Sox wouldn’t budge on. Giving him a fourth year was out of the question because they were convinced he’d be completely irrelevant come the final year of his contract. Good call. If the All-Star Game was in another month, BJ Upton might sneak onto that list. Too bad he hit a buck in April. Meanwhile, Jermaine Dye goes about his business while no one notices, nor cares. He’s hitting .295 with 18 HR and 45 RBI. And his OPS is .933. The guy can flat out hit.

Utility/Designated Hitters

Since the game is in an NL park this year, the DH position doesn’t work out. Sorry to Adam Lind, who is hitting .312 with 15 homers and 52 RBI. He should make the team as an alternate and certainly get an AB. A guy like Jason Kubel (.308/13/42) kind of gets jobbed here, as well. Another guy that should make the ASG IMO (gay, I know) is Ben Zobrist. At what position? Who knows, who cares. He pretty much qualifies for all 9 of them, so put him wherever you want. But you can’t deny he’s been lights out in the first half, and he didn’t even play regularly until Iwamura went down in late May. At .290/16/46, the guy has been a tremendous pick up for that lineup and their offense hasn’t skipped a beat. He’s 8 for 10 in steals, too.

Starting pitching

Starter: Zack Geinke

Reserves: Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, Kevin Millwood, Felix Hernandez, Edwin Jackson, Cliff Lee

Apologies to: Josh Beckett, Jered Weaver, Tim Wakefield

Since we’re dealing with a lot of names here, I won’t include everyone’s stats, just a brief idea of why I feel they’re deserving. Greinke gets the start, but I feel had Halladay not gone on the DL, he could have warranted it instead. Greinke has an ERA over 4 in the month of June which could have swayed the opinion of those making the decision, Halladay wasn’t great in his return and the overall numbers lean towards Greinke. Verlander has been lights out since a rough April and leads the league in K’s. Millwood has a sub-3 ERA pitching in a park where careers go to die. King Felix is finally realizing his potential, and his last 7 starts are evidence of that. Jackson has been tremendous for a rotation that is much improved from its disastrous letdown a year ago. If you told me at the start of the season he’d be second in ERA behind Greinke at this time, I would’ve called you an a$$hole. The last spot is a toss up, but I like Lee here despite getting rocked last night. Beckett had a really rough stretch of games to start the season, and Lee has been consistently good throughout while pitching for the worst team in the Central division. That and he’s the reigning AL Cy Young winner, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

But if Beckett goes out and tosses a gem against the Orioles today, whom he’s had some trouble dealing with in the past, he could edge out Lee. Like Hernandez, Beckett has been great over his last 7 starts. Just ask Heidi Watney, she’ll tell you all about it. Oh wait, no she won’t, she missed out on that question. Weaver has come out of nowhere to help hold together a pitching staff that started the season with its three best pitchers on the DL. And Wakefield is a nice story, again. Too bad he is just out on the fringe of contenders, again. In fact, I’m getting aggravated with everyone in “Red Sox Nation” clamoring for Wake to make the game. He’s getting run support, that’s the only reason he has 10 wins. The guy’s ERA is over 4.

Bullpen

Relievers: Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, Frankie Francisco, David Aardsma, Mariano Rivera

Apologies to: Bobby Jenks, Scott Downs, JP Howell, Joakim Soria

Papelbon, Nathan and Rivera are no surprise. Francisco and Aardsma certainly are. And they’ve earned it. You could argue there are guys with more saves who are more deserving, and the fact that Francisco spent time on the DL and Aardsma took over late after Morrow blew (literally and figuratively). But both have provided such stability to fledgling pitching staffs, that I feel they should be rewarded. Francisco only has 12 saves, but a 1.23 ERA. Aardsma has 16 stops with a 1.49 ERA, and both have only blown one save opportunity.

Jenks gets the shaft because of his ERA, which is above 3. That’s unacceptable. Soria was also on the DL but hasn’t worked as much as Francisco. Downs would’ve been a lock, but he’s out for another four weeks or so. Tough luck, kid. And for Howell, I wouldn’t mind if he replaced someone who opted out over a guy like Jenks. He was steady setting up and now that he’s taken over as the closer, his resume has beefed up even more. He’s 4-2 with a 1.63 and 6 saves thus far. And he hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 23.

National League

First Base

Starter: Albert Pujols

Reserve: Prince Fielder

Apologies to: Ryan Howard, Adrian Gonzalez, Todd Helton

Here’s a question: Which league has the better pool of first basemen? Hard to tell in my eyes. The one thing helping the NL is that it has Albert Pujols. Either he or Longoria are the most clear cut choice at a position. His numbers are staggering: .332/30/77 with an OBP of .453 and OPS of 1.197. That’s absolutely ridiculous. The guy is the best hitter in the game currently not suspended.

Fielder is my choice as the reserve over notables such as Adrian Gonzalez (low average), Todd Helton (not enough power), and Lance Berkman and Ryan Howard (low average, far less RBI’s). The fact that Prince has 74 RBI when you consider he has Ryan Braun hitting ahead of him with 57 is impressive; that team can flat out score runs, which is why they’re fourth in the NL in RS.

Second base

Starter: Chase Utley

Reserve: Orlando Hudson

Apologies to: Freddy Sanchez, Felipe Lopez, Skip Schumaker and Clint Barmes

This is kind of a weak position for the NL, certainly in terms of depth when compared to the AL. A lot of punch and judy hitters, certainly more than the AL counterparts. Utley is having a solid season, batting above .300 and hitting for solid power (17 and 52). You could make a case for Hudson as a feel good story of sorts, but there’s no power there and the averages are pretty comparable. Utley has driven in more runs and the stolen bases don’t create an advantage toward either man. But Hudson should certainly be the reserve here.

Guys like Sanchez, Lopez Schumaker and Barmes are all having nice seasons, but neither can stack up against Utley, and Hudson has just been too well rounded not to garner the reserve role. I wouldn’t mind seeing Uggla and his 15 monstrous bombs in the Home Run Derby again though.

Shortstop

Starter: Hanley Ramirez

Reserve: Miguel Tejada

Apologies to: Christian Guzman, Yunel Escobar,

So much for the NL’s “Big Three”. Ramirez is still king, and it’s incredible to see his numbers (.341/13/56) after he got off to such a mediocre start in April. He only had 2 homers and 12 RBI, but a big May really jumpstarted things for him. Jose Reyes has been on the DL for a large part of the season, and Rollins just flat out stinks right now. That leaves us with the former MVP, juicehead and senior citizen Tejada. He’s stroking at .332 right now and has some decent power numbers. The RBI total is second only to Ramirez among shortstops, and he’s tied for second in runs scored, also behind Ramirez.

Guzman is hitting for average like he always does when he’s healthy, but there’s no power there at all. Escobar is having a well rounded season, but the average could use a boost up from .291 to get further consideration.

Third Base

Starter: David Wright

Reserve: Pablo Sandoval

Apologies to: Ryan Zimmerman, Pedro Feliz, Chipper Jones, Casey Blake, Mark Reynolds

Wow, there’s some serious talent and depth at the hot corner in the NL. I wouldn’t have a problem seeing any of these guys playing in the All-Star game because they’ve all performed well across the board or extremely well in one or two categories. The starter should probably be Wright, but certainly not because of his power. His game has changed in that he doesn’t hit as many homeruns, but he’s hitting .345, has driven in 42 runs and stolen 20, yes that’s right 20, bases. Part of the production problem is the Mets offense being so stagnant these days. Delgado, Beltran, Reyes, et al have had injury troubles, and he’s really the only significant hitter remaining in the lineup. The Mets are trotting out a JV lineup with one kid in the lineup that should be playing on Varsity, let’s look at it that way.

The reserve situation is a little hairy. Sandoval is probably the most deserving, albeit unexpected candidate on the board. If you wanted to get really fussy, you could probably argue he should start over Wright. He’s hitting 40 points higher than Zimmerman, and he only has two less homeruns and four less RBI. Not only that, but his OBP, SLG and OPS are all much, much higher.

Also missing out are a crop of third basemen who are having great starts to 2009. Chipper Jones is off pace from last year’s torrid start in a big way, but by no means are his numbers paltry. Casey Blake came out of nowhere in May to post a .353/4/18 line, which was huge after Manny got suspended. He has cooled off a bit in June but the overall numbers are still extremely respectable. Feliz, meanwhile, hasn’t done much except drive in runs when guys like Utley, Howard and Werth can’t do it…he has been struggling lately, including an 0 for 19 slump after I picked him up in one of my ESPN leagues, but not a bad season so far for a guy buried in a potent Phillies’ lineup. But he’s batting .500 with 2 bombs and 3 RBI in his last 3 games which makes me feel good. Reynolds is turning into Adam Dunn with a higher average, although not by much. This guy drops bombs but strikes out at an alarming rate. Nonetheless, you can’t dispute the guy’s power, it’s legit. Get him in the Homerun Derby

Catcher

Starter: Brian McCann

Reserve: Yadier Molina

Apologies to: Ugh, I don’t know, Bengie Molina and Chris Iannetta?

I know McCann has missed time and AB’s but the gap between him and the next best catcher is as wide as the Grand Canyon. Talk about a drop off in talent. Last year the catchers in the NL were aplenty with the likes of Geovany Soto and Russell Martin in the mix. Neither of those guys are very good this year, and Yadier is even a stretch. McCann has to get the start here, he’s far and away the top guy. This is another position at which the fan voting is showing how flawed it is this year. Clearly because the game is in St. Louis, the front office is sitting around all day submitting multiple All-Star ballots online.

Bengie and Iannetta are the next best options, but if either of those guys start or play in the All-Star game, I’ll no longer watch.

Outfield

Starters: Ryan Braun, Brad Hawpe, Raul Ibanez

Apologies to: Justin Upton, Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence, Matt Kemp, Carlos Beltran

Couple DL guys here in Ibanez and Beltran. Ibanez should be healthy in time for the game, so he definitely gets a start. The guy is crushing and on pace to dominate any season highs he’s had in the power department. Hawpe is third in RBI, Braun second among outfielders; Ibanez is the leader and he’s been out for two weeks. But Hawpe and Braun find themselves in the top 5 in average, RBI, OBP, SLG and OPS.

The younger Upton has really turned the corner this year, and if Ibanez couldn’t go, he’s my pick to replace him. He’s hitting .320 with 14 HR and 45 RBI and has 10 steals to go with it; the five tool player that he was drafted as. Lee and Pence are two-thirds of the Astros outfield and both are having productive seasons. Pence has added some power to compliment his speed, and Lee is doing much of what he normally does (.301/12/45). I’d pick Lee over Pence, but I don’t like either guy going to the game straight up. Obviously injuries will open up slots, and I’ll take Lee first. But not before Kemp, who is filling the stat sheet with his .306/10/41 line. His 18 steals in 21 attempts is excellent, and he has been tremendous at the bottom of that Dodger lineup. Beltran is in a tough spot here, as he was having a nice, well rounded season before hitting the DL. It’s a tough call with him.

Starting pitching

Starter: Dan Haren

Reserves: Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Josh Johnson, Yovani Gallardo, Javier Vasquez, Johan Santana

Apologies to: Chad Billingsley, Zach Duke, Johnny Cueto, Jair Jurrjens

As much as I want Matt Cain to get the nod, it has to go to Haren here, especially after he did it again last night with 7 innings and only 1 run on 4 hits and 9 K’s. It’s fairly obvious. The guy pitches for a shitty team, so his record stinks, but he leads the NL in ERA, IP and WHIP and is second in CG and third in K’s.

The only debate can be issued with the final spot. Does it go to Santana or Billingsley? Much like Torii Hunter winning a Gold Glove every year, I say it goes to Santana just because the numbers are so close and he’s the incumbent. Duke, however, could sneak in as the Pirates pick. Unless that goes to Freddy Sanchez at second base. That will leave someone out who is more deserving.

Bullpen

Relievers: Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Broxton, Heath Bell, Trevor Hoffman, Ryan Franklin

Apologies to: Brian Wilson, Huston Street, Francisco Cordero

I don’t know who is more deserving to serve as the “closer” in this game. Franklin has been lights out with his 0.93 ERA, and he wasn’t even the closer at the beginning of the season. That went to Jason Motte, who lasted about five minutes in that role. K-Rod has been spectacular and Heath Bell is quietly putting up one heck of a season over in San Diego as your league leader in saves. Hoffman, meanwhile, has converted 18 of 19 saves and is proving father time does not exist in his neck of the woods. Amazing to think he started the season on the DL and has come back in such dominant fashion. The last spot, in my eyes, gets a bit dicey. Brian Wilson’s 22 saves put him one behind Bell in the top spot, but as usual, his ERA is garbage. Street lost his closer job in April after posting a 6.10 ERA, then got it back and saved 6 games in May and 11 games in June. He’s looking more like the guy we used to watch in Oakland. Cordero is finding it hard to get recognition, as is anyone in Cincinnati. The Reds suck, but Cordero doesn’t. 18 of 19 saves converted and a sub 2 ERA. If Cueto doesn’t make the squad, Cordero could be the guy since no one else on that team is very deserving.

So there you have it. Please keep in mind that these stats do not reflect the games played today, Wednesday July 1, 2009. I mainly just wanted to provide recognition to the guys who I think deserve to start and who are in the running. Obviously the fan voting will differ in a few areas, and some of them will be ludicrous. After that has closed, I’ll be chiming in with my thoughts on what the worst starting picks were.



-Bess